Chapter 67 - Sacred Mountain in Myanmar (Part XXI)

Seeing the dense swarm of Flying Grain Gu before them, Chen Shaoxian felt his skin crawl and urgently called for Thomas to break down the door with him.

Fortunately, the door was already riddled with holes from gunfire, and with their combined force, they managed to tumble outside. They immediately sprinted toward the others.

Behind them, a loud buzzing erupted as a cloud of yellow mist shot out from the thatch huts, heading straight for the two of them.

Luckily, Xiao Zhuang and the others were not far away. While running, Chen Shaoxian yelled to the group, “Flamethrower!”

Hearing the gunshots earlier, Xiao Zhuang and the group were already on high alert.

Xiao Zhuang watched anxiously in the direction Chen Shaoxian and Thomas were coming from. As soon as he heard Chen Shaoxian shouting, he instructed Yang Xiao’ang to set up the flamethrower.

The yellow mist was closing in on them rapidly. Chen Shaoxian could feel the vibration in the air as the Flying Grain Gu approached. He quickly reached out to grab the breathless Thomas, tossing him several meters forward, not caring if Thomas might get hurt in the process, and then rolled on the ground himself while shouting, “Fire!”

The moment Chen Shaoxian hit the ground, he felt the searing heat of flames brush by him, causing his skin to sting slightly.

The smell of burnt air filled his nostrils as the swarm of Flying Grain Gu was instantly incinerated into ash.

Lying on the ground, Chen Shaoxian didn’t remain idle. He grabbed a handful of damp soil and smeared it over his face to cool himself down. The cold mud was soothing.

After lowering his body temperature, Chen Shaoxian, without concern for any burns from the flames, quickly stood up and went over to Thomas.

Thomas lay flat on the ground, half of his body sinking into the wet earth, eyes rolled back as he panted heavily.

Chen Shaoxian hurriedly helped Thomas up, giving a few firm pats on his back.

With each pat, Thomas let out a long groan, followed by a fit of violent coughing. After several deep breaths, he gave Chen Shaoxian a nod.

Chen Shaoxian helped Thomas up and they walked back towards the group.

Xiao Zhuang handed over a water bottle and asked with concern, “Shaoxian, are you hurt?”

Chen Shaoxian took the bottle, drank a few gulps, and said, “I’m fine, let’s move quickly.”

Before he finished speaking, everyone heard a scream, followed by cracking and scratching sounds echoing throughout the cavern.

Thomas shivered at the sound, looking around in terror.

Although the others didn’t know what was happening, seeing Thomas’s reaction made it clear that the sound meant trouble.

“Set them on fire,” Chen Shaoxian said decisively.

Following the order, Yang Xiao’ang began spraying flames on the thatch huts on both sides.

Despite the dampness of the grass and wood used in the buildings, the hydrocarbons in the flames clung to the surface and soon produced a bluish smoke, rapidly igniting.

Once the huts caught fire, screams emerged from within, and soon a woman in white clambered onto the roof, accompanied by a swarm of white moths that flew out with her. As the white moths saw the flames, they rushed into it, bursting with popping sounds. At the same time, more white moths flew from the woman’s body, following the others into the fire.

As the moths depleted, the woman was revealed to be mostly skeletal, wrapped with thin twigs that moved like small snakes, writhing over her structure.

The flames intensified, breaking the twigs, causing the skeleton and skull to collapse into the fire, and soon they were consumed.

Chen Shaoxian hadn’t expected such effective results and turned to instruct Yang Xiao’ang to set all the houses on both sides ablaze.

As they walked and set fires, they saw the towering flames and decided to turn off their flashlights, using the fire’s light to search for a way out.

Taking advantage of the moment, Xiao Zhuang asked, “Shaoxian, what was that woman just now?”

“That thing was a grass witch; it’s said that grass spirits can only inhabit young girls,” Chen Shaoxian answered. After a pause, he continued, “Maybe Thomas was right, there might have been a period of Ethnic Integration.” Then Chen Shaoxian asked Thomas, “Why did you run into the thatch huts earlier?”

Thomas’s face turned red. “While I was walking, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I thought it was one of us, so I looked back and saw a woman in the thatch huts waving at me.

“I was really scared then and wanted to call out to you, but I couldn’t open my mouth. That’s when I saw many twigs extending from the thatch huts, wrapping around me, and pulling me inside.

“Those twigs dragged me to the edge of a cauldron, and then the woman, the grass witch, descended from the roof, hanging in the air. Three white moths flew out from her body and into the mouths of three Japanese soldier corpses. Once the moths got inside, the corpses started spitting out grain.

“Then those twigs controlled my hands to pick up the grain and try to shove it into my mouth.”

“Oh, by the way, Chen, why did those grains turn into little bugs?”

“Those weren’t grains; they were the eggs of the white moths. As recorded in the first year of Zuo Zhuan¹‘s Duke Zhao, ‘Grain takes flight, and thus it becomes Gu,’ referring to these tiny insects.”

“Initially, these insects aren’t harmful. However, over time, they develop into highly destructive Gu, similar to ticks. The difference is that they burrow into a living host, consume its organs, and reside there until they metamorphose into moths. As adults, they lose their harmful abilities, but the dust on the white moths is highly corrosive. If it touches your skin, it causes instant decay, and inhaling it can be fatal.”

Thomas felt a surge of fear after hearing this and cleared his throat to ask, “Then why didn’t they attack us initially?”

Chen Shaoxian shook his head. “Maybe because too much time has passed. However, I suspect those grass witches were made later, possibly using young girls intended for sacrificial rites.”

“I thought Gu sorcery was only among the Miao ethnic group. How did it end up here?” Xiao Zhuang asked, intrigued.

“That’s not entirely true. Gu is actually a form of ancient sorcery, not exclusive to the Miao. There were many practitioners, but during the Qin and Han periods, especially under Emperor Wu of Han², there was a major crackdown, nearly wiping it out.”

“What we’ve seen today isn’t the Miao’s method of Gu sorcery.”

“This Gu sorcery seems to be from the Zhongshan State during the Warring States³ period.”

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from the “heavens” in the darkness.

Everyone instinctively looked up, and under the glow of the flames, a gigantic, earth-toned face was visible in the sky, covering the entire space above.

Moreover, the face was continually thickening. It wasn’t until then that everyone realized that white moths and yellow Flying Grain Gu emerging from the unburned thatch houses were converging there.

Chen Shaoxian cursed, “Damn it, there’s even a combo attack.”

“Follow me.” Suddenly, the missing Howard appeared not far ahead.

Seeing the hesitation in the group, Howard urgently yelled, “Quick, we don’t have much time!” With that, he turned and ran.

“Let’s go, follow Howard.”

Footnote:

1. Zuo Zhuan(左传): Zuo Zhuan is an ancient Chinese historical text that provides a chronological account of the events during the Spring and Autumn period.
2. Emperor Wu of Han(汉武帝):Emperor Wu of Han was a notable emperor of the Han Dynasty, who reigned from 141 to 87 BC.
3. Warring States(战国):The Warring States period (475-221 BC) was a time of intense military conflict and political change in ancient China. Multiple states vied for dominance, leading to significant advancements in military strategy and technology, culminating in the unification of China under the Qin state.